Sleepy truth
by Asuhole
Summary: When Armin gets tired, he becomes a bit silly - and entirely honest. Eren takes advantage of that, the sly fucker.


Kindly settle the reading format as 1/2 for a better reading experience.

Thank you. Have a nice day.

* * *

This Friday, Eren invites Armin over to stay at his house. ''Just because,'' he says when Armin perches an eyebrow at him as he asks, and Eren gives him a shrug on his shoulders and an innocent smile.

Eren has had his certain suspicions about a certain friend, and he has made up the perfect plan in order to get the truth revealed. ''I thought you said that sleepovers were for kids,'' Armin reasons, shaking on his head a tad, although a smile lingers to his lips all the while. He continues – ''What about Mikasa?'' and Eren makes a noise reminding of a snort. He tuts slyly as he crooks an arm around Armin's shoulder and drags him closer, yapping a ''nah, this sleepover isn't for girls. We'll invite her another time.''

Armin does not give in that easily, unfortunately. ''What's the occasion? Do you have some sort of plan in mind, or?'' Now Armin is the one to smile somehow slyly, and the smirk upon his lips looks out of place as he lets out an airy laugh by the look on Eren's face. Eren is definitely not a good liar – has never been, and will probably never be. He seems as if cornered, eyebrows twitching, lower lip wobbling as he barks a hasty ''No – no definitely not! Why'd you think that?''

Armin sighs, shoulders slumping. ''At your house, right?'' he says, and Eren's eyes lights eccentrically. He makes a small jump, fist pumping the air with his right hand and with an unctuous expression on his face. Armin only but rolls his eyes and gives in, because when first Eren has a good idea, nothing is likely to stop him.

''You can come in the evening by dinnertime, all right?'' Eren suggests enthusiastically while they walk along the halls, backpack lazily slung over his shoulder as he walks backwards like the smartass he is. However, this sort of attitude has always been a charm to Armin, so he only chuckles fondly when Eren nearly stumbles over a discarded water bottle along the way. He sends Armin a lop-sided smirk – baring his teeth in a grin that is almost too big for his face.

''All right,'' Armin responds, breathless for some reason. There is a tint to his cheeks, which he cannot excuse, but he hopes that Eren does not notice it.

* * *

The days go by, and suddenly it becomes Friday – perhaps a bit too quickly for Armin's taste – and when they meet up at their usual meeting place in the morning, it being the front gate of Armin's house, Eren looks giddy as he approaches him. ''Are you ready for a sleepless night?'' he says when he is in hearing range, giving Armin a 'thumbs up' and an exaggerated wink. Armin fidgets from where he stands, mumbling some unintelligible words under his breath.

''Gaming?'' is all he says, blinking his eyes hastily, rubbing the back of his hand against his eyes. He is already more than tired, having been up almost all night in order to finish a book he found interesting.

''Have you been up all night?'' Eren questions as if interested, giving Armin an observant look.

The look he gives him makes him squint his eyes in suspicion. ''Maybe,'' Armin says, finding himself curious when Eren's smile turns into a smug smirk by the response.

'Perfect', he thinks he hears Eren say, but it might just be his suspicion getting ahead of him.

''Have you been up all night again, Armin?'' Mikasa immediately says when they meet up with her in front of her house, and she states it – since she knows him all too well.

Armin does not even bother to fight against it anymore. ''Yeah—but I found this really interesting book, so-''Eren cuts him off by doing that thing again – the move where he crooks his arm around his shoulder and drags him close to his chest, all but smiling devilishly with a self-satisfied grin. ''I won't let you sleep tonight, you know that, right?'' he says when they walk ahead. Mikasa perks up at this, tilting her head.

''Remember to use a condom,'' is all she says – face expression unmoving, picking her phone up from her bag as she looks at the time, calm and all. Eren trips over his own feet and nearly hits the pavement head first, taking Armin with him in the process. He regains his footing and catches Armin by his bicep, face all flustered and eyes wild. ''Mikasa!'' He whines, and Armin does not say anything – although his cheeks are red and his eyes are at downcast.

Mikasa is unapologetic.

* * *

The closer they get to the end of the day, the more nervous Armin gets. What does Eren have in mind? He has seemed all smug and mysterious lately – ever since he got the idea to hold a sleepover. When the last ring resounds in the corridors, students stream out, and at last, but not least – Eren, Mikasa and Armin too.

''I'll go home then. I have so many games we should try out. You won't get any sleep, I promise you!'' Eren says, and how many times has he said that already? Eren presses closer to Armin, chuckling a; ''you get all loose and silly when you're sleepy. I can't wait.''

''Condoms,'' Mikasa says from behind, propping between them instantly, eyebrows raised.

**''Mikasa!''**

* * *

Armin gets to Eren's house by bike, a little bag with a toothbrush and fresh clothes fastened on the back of it. He has gotten taller lately, thinking it must look silly – a gangly teenager on a small bike.

Eren has gotten tall as well – and is still the tallest of them.

When Armin rings the bell, Eren's answer is immediate – the door is nearly flung open and Eren stands there, looking so excited it nearly makes Armin flabbergasted. ''Come in!'' he beams at him, motioning for Armin to tread closer.

Eren's house is cozy – not small, but not big either.

''Is your mom home?'' Armin asks, in case he should just stop by and say hi for the sake of courtesy. Eren, Mikasa and Armin have been friends since their early ages – they are almost connected to one another's families as if they are their own.

Eren turns around and stands in the doorway to the kitchen, leaning forward – yelling a stretched 'Moooooom', and looks back with a shrug when he gets no answer. ''Probably not home,'' he says – and Armin tries not to notice how broad his shoulders have become. Eren has always been full of energy – there is no wonder he has joined the football team, nor that he has become well endowed throughout his most recent growing spurt.

''Oh – doesn't matter. I'll just greet her later on,'' Armin says, making a small wave with his hand.

They go upstairs and into Eren's room. It is messy and boyish, and unkempt clothes lies on the ground in smaller stacks. Eren's body startles and he rubs the nape of his neck sheepishly, quickly scrambling around to gather the clothes and an old pizza tray.

Armin laughs aloud, because he is used to it. There has been times where he has been here and it has been squeaky clean – but that is only when Carla really gets picky. ''Messy as ever,'' he taunts, sitting on Eren's bed. Eren sticks his tongue out at him and arranges his clothes, subsequently disappearing out of the door with the trash he has gathered.

Armin notices how tired he really is. Gaming for a whole night? Not possible, he thinks, and daydreams about the book he just read. He puts a hand up to his mouth and yawns, thinking that he might surely fall asleep already at ten pm. He is almost dazed off when Eren comes back and closes the door with a rumble, looking startled by the action himself.

When his attention returns to Armin, he clasps his hands together and rubs them against one another, looking anything but innocent.

''To believe you've just turned seventeen,'' Armin says.

''I'm perfectly mature for my age,'' is the answer, and Eren plops down on one of his beanbags and grabs a controller. He already has a game on. ''It's one of the newest,'' he chants, lifting his brows. ''Black Flag. I've already played for four hours, but I'm not even close to be through the second phase,'' he continues, and Armin just listens. He claims a seat in the other beanbag and makes himself comfortable – right next to Eren, who looks entirely devoted to the game he is playing.

Eren keeps talking through it, occasionally looking over at Armin. It might seem like a boring situation to Armin, but frankly, he really enjoys being with Eren in general. He likes the story of the Assassins game too – so that is not bad, either.

He gets to play a few times when Eren whines his name – begging him to try it out, and he finds himself enjoying the game.

They switch games sometimes, seeing as Eren has a whole lot of games around in his room – some in his drawer and even under his bed. Sometime through it, Armin looks at the few couple of books lying around here and there, granting them interest.

It does not take long before the clock strikes past ten pm – although it has been five hours since he arrived, and Armin is right – he ever so slowly feels himself getting drowsier, unable to keep his eyes open. He feels something smack his forehead the first time he closes his eyes for more than ten seconds, and affronted hunches his shoulders up and looks bewildered at Eren, who has an outstretched arm towards him. ''Hey, I told you, right?'' he says with a hint of smugness in his voice, ''I'm not allowing you to sleep.''

Moreover, with that, he raises himself and disappears out the door.

He comes back later with his embrace filled with cans of that sugary energy liquid, which nowadays are apparent everywhere in all the nearby stores.

He slips them all of them out of his embrace at once on the floor, squatting down so that he does not harm them in the process. He grabs one of them and throws it to Armin, who squeaks and almost crawls out of the beanbag.

Armin opens it and sips it gingerly anyway, although he has never been a big fan of it. If Eren really demands him to stay awake, then so be it. He is not going to let Eren win, he thinks, giving him a challenging glare in return. Eren sits next to him again, and even he looks a bit tired, too. It has been a tiring week, so no wonder.

''Think you can stay awake?'' he says, placing his drink next to him as he suddenly leans over. Armin's body goes frigid when Eren reaches a hand up to his face, gently caressing his cheek with his warm and big hand – letting it linger there. A peculiar feeling swells in Armin's chest, but he refrains from answering at first, his breath stuttering. Eren squints his eyes and inches closer, dragging a bit in the skin around Armin's right eye with one of his fingers – checking if he still sees properly. ''You're being silly,'' Arming grouses, puffing his cheeks up in a way that makes Eren's smile widen.

''There's no way—you could-,'' Armin murmurs, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand. Eren ruffles his fingers through the blonde's hair and sighs somehow happily, looking satisfied. ''You don't even make sense anymore,'' he says. Armin only groans as an answer.

Eren always just talks. There is no filter. ''You get so silly when you're tired, it's funny,'' he says, just like he had earlier.

In the matter of a few couple of seconds, Armin finds himself lifted as two hands dig into his hips. Eren has raised himself on his knees and lounges over, dragging Armin closer to himself. Armin feels limbless, and the brunette even manages to turn him around along the way so that his butt is being dragged over the wooden floor.

Armin can only hear his temples beating as he is placed somewhere comfortable – a warm and firm wall against his back. When he looks up, he sees the underside of Eren's jaw and his chin – sees the way his Adams apple bobs up and down when he swallows. Here, Armin feels safe. He also feels strangely out of place – not in a bad way, but only as if this is not real. His cheeks feel warm and his body is tingling.

Eren's biceps are nestled around Armin's shoulders and next to his head, so Armin lolls his head to the side and rests his temple there. Huddled between Eren's legs, Armin does not feel so bad. Eren does not say anything, but Armin can hear his breathing – present, a little hasty – sometimes heavy. He cannot believe this is happening.

Some time passes like that where they just sit. Just like that. Armin in Eren's lap – in his embrace, watching tiredly as Eren plays another game. Then Armin plays, and Eren holds his hands in his own, telling him how to play it with an unusually soft voice. He nuzzles his chin against Armin's hair, inhaling the scent of vanilla.

Eren's hands are always warm – have always been. He is like a living furnace, life affirming and present.

Armin really likes that about Eren.

He likes a lot about Eren in general, honestly.

It feels so cozy there – he could just fall asleep.

''Hey, don't sleep,'' he hear Eren's voice above him – or no, close to him, Eren having leaned down to brush his lips against the shell of Armin's ear – his warm breath is like a teasing tickle. Armin shivers and presses his legs together, feeling his lower lip wobble by the confusing churn occurring in his lower region.

''M'y not,'' he sighs in a low mutter, craning a bit in his neck in order to nuzzle his cheek against Eren's bicep, resting his head there as he closes his eyes again. Eren shakes his shoulders a bit, trying to get in contact with him. ''Are you tired?'' he asks. What a stupid question, Armin thinks, but cannot help but to smile meekly. ''Mm,'' he responds.

''Were you the one who pranked Jean last week?''

''T'was caus' he's a clotpole.''

''So it was you?''

''Maybe.''

''Really?''

''Mm.''

Eren asks him many varied questions. He has heard some of the questions before - usually refrains from answering, but right now it seems like his own filter is long gone, so he answers honestly – too tired to care.

''So you're not so innocent again, really,'' Eren snickers, looking amused.

''Don't know,'' Armin groans, turning around to mash his face against Eren's chest, not strong enough to knock him over and onto his back. He circles his arms around his waist and just embraces him, sighing contently against his chest. Eren does not say anything for a while.

It is almost alarmingly quiet for a long streak, so Armin nearly lulls himself to sleep.

''Do you like me?'' is the next question, and Eren's heartbeat speeds up. He swallows heavily.

Armin rouses just slightly and groans into his chest, wiggling his butt as he inches closer and closer – wanting to get more of Eren, more of his musky and basic smell, his warmth and his tanned skin.

''Don't like you,'' he mutters, quietly, and everything in his head feels blurry and out of this world.

Eren stops breathing.

''Love you, Eren…,'' he says shortly after having yawned.

Eren's muscles begin to relax, and he hugs the sleepy teenager in return, pulling him into his embrace – on his level, letting Armin rest his face in the crook of his shoulder.

* * *

Then next morning, Armin finds himself lying in Eren's bed, tugged in his duvet. He wonders how he got up in the bed, since he cannot remember having moved out of his beanbag. He blinks his eyes in perplexity when he notices that he is only wearing his boxers and his shirt, pants discarded on the floor and his cardigan, too. Did he undress himself?

He cannot remember having fallen asleep – only grants his thoughts to when Eren had thrown an energy drink at him and they had afterwards played some more games or something, but that is all.

Armin flinches when the door suddenly opens with a shrilly creak, Eren appearing in the doorway somehow hesitantly, although a sheepish smile lingers to his lips.

''G'morning,'' he says, dimples showing on his cheeks. He still has that boyish expression on his face – probably something he will not grow out of anytime soon, no matter how muscular or tall he becomes.

''Eren,'' is all Armin says, still feeling tired – curious and all, but only makes a pleased expression in return. ''For how long have you been awake?'' he asks, stretching his arms above his head with a yawn that almost makes something in his jaw click.

''Three hours or so. It's like eleven in the morning,'' Eren answers, shrugging on his shoulders. He sits himself on the bed and close to Armin, which the blonde has not expected for him to do.

Eren is looking at him, shoulders a bit slumped as he turns his torso towards him – just staring – with those muddy green eyes – or blue – or turquoise… what color are they even – he can never determine which is dominant. Armin forgets to breathe for a second or two.

Then the brunette leans forward, ever so slowly, using his hand on the bed as an advantage. In the surprise, Armin arches a tad backwards, finding the situation hard to believe. However, he stops moving amidst it, not knowing what to do of himself. He can feel prickling in his cheeks - his heart does a flick flack inside his chest and something clogs in his throat.

Eren's face is so close now – Armin can outline his eyelashes, every single one of them and he has his eyes closed, lips slightly agape – he keeps getting closer.

At first, Armin barely notices it. He shuts his eyes firmly close too, nerves tingling and fingers trembling – he is too nervous to notice when their lips meet. However, then another thing happens - a strange sensation cradles his stomach and he feels warm all over, and Eren's lips are soft and slow – present.

Armin feels a hand on his neck, gently massaging the trail of blonde tufts there, since he recently got a pixie haircut. He relaxes into the kiss; even though he is not sure if it is really happening, but nonetheless, he presses back with the tiniest hint of force, lower lip wobbling.

When they break apart, Eren's cheeks look flushed, but Armin resembles a tomato.

They do not say anything for a while, and Eren only but smiles that cheeky smile of his with a tilt of his head. ''Wh-'' Armin tries, blinking his eyes, breath erratic and he draws his hands up to his face, trying to hide his flusterment.

''You don't remember?'' Eren asks with a perched eyebrow.

''Remember what?'' the blonde mutters somehow wildly, not understanding the situation – but his stomach feels tickly inside and he cannot help but to smile and grimace at the same time.

''You said you love me,'' Eren says, inching closer, taking a hold of Armin's hands. ''You don't?'' he asks hesitantly afterwards, shortly looking as if he has seen a ghost.

''No—I mean,'' Armin mumbles, swallowing heavily. He shuts his eyes closed; about to hide his face in his hands, but Eren holds them down so that he can still see his face. ''I- I do love you,'' he croaks, afterwards releasing a fatigued moan due the embarrassment he is feeling.

''I love you too, Armin,'' Eren leans closer again – but this time, he kisses Armin's forehead so tenderly, like he is regarding something fragile and precious.

It has been so long, Armin thinks. He has had a crush on Eren for so long – but never had he expected this – for it to be returned, or for it to be revealed like this.

He shyly looks up at Eren again, ignoring the burn along his jaw.

Then everything clicks into place, and he remembers what happened yesterday – the questions, their cuddling.

Keeping him awake. Asking him all kinds of questions.

''That was your plan all along—'' Armin begins, perking up – and Eren flinches by the volume in his voice.

''You know how I get when I'm tired,'' he pouts, shaking on his head, and now his throat might even be streaked with the blush. He takes the nearest pillow and aims to hit Eren in the face – softly, of course, but Eren blocks it and takes the pillow, chuckling all the while. Eren leans forward and steals yet another kiss, silencing Armin and his actions.

Arming grins again, feeling strageness in his gut – but also an immense flash of happiness – of tenderness.

He is not mad at Eren – far from. However, Eren has always had his ways with him. Some things never change, but some do.

They have become boyfriends now, after all.


End file.
